COCOBOD, WESTERN NORTH POLICE COMMAND PARTNER TO TACKLE COCOA SMUGGLING

Date: 12th September 2025

The Western North Regional Management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has organised a training workshop for the Western North Regional Police Command at Sefwi Wiawso to strengthen the fight against cocoa smuggling.

The workshop, focused on anti-smuggling strategies, sought to build the capacity of police personnel in border communities to effectively curb the illicit trade.

In his opening remarks, the Western North Regional Administrator of COCOBOD, Mr. Enoch K. Ampofo, disclosed that the region—once Ghana’s leading cocoa-producing area—currently loses an estimated 15,000 to 25,000 metric tonnes of cocoa annually to smuggling. He described this as a huge financial setback for the region, COCOBOD, and the Government of Ghana.

“Preventing revenue losses to the Board, improving the capacities of our partners—in this case, the Police Service—and revamping internal processes are key to achieving COCOBOD’s core objectives,” Mr. Ampofo stated.

He expressed confidence that the workshop would equip police officers with the skills to identify cocoa earmarked for smuggling and ensure uninterrupted evacuation of produce in the region.

Mr. Samuel Nana Yaw Sarfo, Deputy Regional Manager of the Quality Control Company (QCC), Sefwi Wiawso, served as the lead resource person. Discussions centred on standard operating procedures, internal marketing, cocoa evacuation processes, and internal monitoring mechanisms.

The initiative forms part of COCOBOD’s broader efforts to safeguard Ghana’s cocoa sector from the menace of cross-border smuggling.